The Northern Grand Duke’s Crazy Son-in-Law

2. Leather Notebook

‘Just one bag is all.’

Gallad shook the leather bag in his hand and clicked his tongue slightly.

I was proud to have lived quite diligently, but in the end, all I got was this one leather bag. The uniform was also returned, and I was wearing the same shabby shirt and pants I had when I came.

‘I guess I’m the first to come out alive.’

There was a famous story in the intelligence agency. There was a legend that one had to give up their life to leave the intelligence agency. In fact, once you belong to the intelligence agency, you couldn’t transfer to another department.

This was because the intelligence agency was pathologically obsessed with security. If it weren’t for political reasons, Gallad would have tried to erase his memory by hitting his head with a hammer.

‘He said he’d come pick me up.’

Gallad put a cigarette in his mouth.

Just then, a carriage approached noisily. Passersby were startled by the neighing of the shiny horse. Some people watched as if they were seeing something new.

‘A carriage in this day and age-.’

Gallad frowned.

As magic science advanced, magic cars equipped with magic circles and mana storage instead of horses became popular. They were as expensive as horses or cheaper, and they were popular because they were easy to manage. In fact, carriages were gradually disappearing in the capital.

‘A carriage sent by the Grand Duke.’

I have to go that far by carriage-. Gallad clicked his tongue and headed towards the carriage. A man with his eyes slit all the way up was sitting in the carriage.

Thick iron armor, a long sword at his waist, a dagger on the inside of his thigh, and a helmet placed next to him-. He was a typical knight.

“Are you Gallad Ambertan?”

“Yes. Is this the carriage sent by His Highness the Grand Duke?”

“Yes, you can call me Gilbert. I will guide you.”

The man opened the door roughly. The interior was even worse than the exterior. The chairs covered in scraps of cloth looked more uncomfortable than bar stools, and the walls were stained.

‘This won’t be easy.’

The fact that they had only sent one person to pick him up in such a shabby carriage meant that they weren’t happy about having Galahad there either.

“It’s made of demon leather, so it’s softer than it looks.”

The man who had introduced himself as Gilbert spoke with a wry voice.

Knowing that complaining wouldn’t change anything, Galahad nodded and got into the carriage.

Boom, the carriage door slammed shut. The carriage started moving before Galahad could even sit down.

“Softer, my foot. It feels like someone’s kicking my butt.”

He muttered softly and heard laughter from outside the carriage.

He had good hearing. Galahad muttered softly and searched his inside pocket.

He pulled out a small leather notebook from his inside pocket. It looked like an ordinary, worn-out notebook, but when he poured mana into it, it opened automatically.

It was filled with a variety of handwriting, from scribbles to neat penmanship.

The sentence written at the very top was:

[I’ve become possessed by a novel.]

It was written in scribbled Korean.

It was definitely something Galahad had written, but it was so long ago that his memories were hazy.

At first, he had thought that he had been reincarnated with the memories of his previous life. Galahad had just started walking when he regained the memories of his previous life.

It wasn’t until he heard names familiar to the demons that he realized he had become possessed by a novel.

Galahad hurriedly recalled his memories to organize the contents of the novel. That was what this leather notebook was.

It was quite some time after he realized he had become possessed that he realized it.

His memories of the novel weren’t complete. It wasn’t a novel that he had read very carefully in the first place, and who reads a novel while memorizing its contents?

Still, he remembered the main storyline. For example:

[The world is destroyed by the Demon King.]

The novel had a sad ending. No, calling it a sad ending was an understatement. It was a shitty ending.

[Important characters: The blonde Sword Master, some Great Mage, the Mother of the Elves, a Barbarian who uses an ax, a Half-Demon······.]

It was written as he roughly remembered it. The ending was certain, but he couldn’t be sure about the rest of the contents.

There was an explanation in Imperial language below it.

[The Great Mage is most likely the Lord of the Twilight Magic Tower. Location unknown. The blonde Sword Master is most likely the eldest daughter of the Northern Grand Duke, the Mother of the Elves is probably in the Forest of Elves, the Barbarian who uses an ax is unknown.]

This was information that Galahad had obtained while working for the Intelligence Agency.

Galahad’s goal was a warm and comfortable old age. To that end, he had to somehow prevent the Demon King ending.

Originally, he had planned to prepare for the Demon King at the Intelligence Agency. The Intelligence Agency was such a large and powerful organization that it could be called the organization that moved the continent.

‘But the Northern Sword Master’s Western Pillar of Ki······.’

Galahad laughed bitterly. It was hard to see it as a good thing, but it wasn’t the worst thing that could happen either.

The blonde Sword Master was also the hero with the most weight, and she was in a region with a front line against the demons.

As the saying goes, if you want to catch a tiger, you have to go to the tiger’s den.

Galahad continued to read the worn-out notebook and recall dot com

The carriage stopped after the sun had set.

“Get out.”

Gilbert pointed behind him. It was right next to the road in the middle of nowhere.

“Are you saying you want to rough it?”

Galahad frowned. He was the third son of a count.

He didn’t understand why they had to camp when there were towns or castles every day’s travel apart.

“We were told to avoid contact with the Empire as much as possible.”

“Are you referring to the Grand Duke’s wishes?”

“I follow Lady Adrianna.”

Adrianna was the name of the woman Galahad was to marry.

“Yes, you should listen to your wife.”

Gilburton’s lips twitched savagely.

‘He doesn’t like me.’

In a way, it was only natural.

Galahad was a magician, which they despised the most, and the third son of a count. It was unlikely they were happy that he was marrying the Grand Duke’s eldest daughter.

There must have been a lot of conflicts and vested interests involved. The result was the Grand Duke’s defeat.

“You’re not married yet.”

Gilburton grinned, showing his molars. His murderous aura was like a dagger in his back.

‘This is dangerous.’

Galahad put a cigarette in his mouth and smiled bitterly.

Gilburton silently began to tidy up. He was very practiced at camping. Galahad watched him.

He gathered firewood and quickly lit a fire. Then he put a pot on it and threw in some meat. Then he added some stew.

‘I don’t want to eat that.’

Galahad clicked his tongue. He already knew that these guys had terrible hygiene, but even so, turning the meat with the same hands that had dug in the dirt and handled the firewood was the worst.

“Please eat. It’s a northern dish.”

Gilburton grabbed a piece of meat and handed it to him. It was a large chunk of uncooked meat that had only been seared on the outside. Blood dripped from it because it wasn’t cooked. It wasn’t even rare. It was super rare.

Was this cooking? It was ridiculous, but unfortunately, he wasn’t in a position to complain about the food.

“Thank you.”

Galahad bit into the meat. His mouth was filled with the sour taste of blood. He chewed and swallowed it.

Gilburton also bit into the meat, as if he was just trying to get a taste of it. He even drank the dripping blood like a beverage. Watching him eat like a savage made Galahad even more reluctant to go north.

They ate their meal in silence. When they were finished, Gilburton handed him a flask of alcohol.

“I don’t drink.”

Galahad shook his head. Alcohol slowed the mind and made the hands heavy, so it was forbidden for magicians.

“You are a magician after all.”

Gilburton emphasized the word ‘magician’. His pronunciation wasn’t very good.

“Yes, I am an excellent magician.”

Galahad met his gaze without flinching. Gilburton’s brow furrowed slightly.

“You must be careful in the north. The ignorant northerners don’t know the difference between magicians and demons.”

That was all he had to threaten him with? Galahad found it childish.

“Surely the Grand Duke can protect his son-in-law in his own territory.”

This time, Gilburton chuckled. He was more patient than he looked.

“Hunting magicians is all the rage in the Empire these days. They say a magician’s heart is very expensive.”

Gilburton grinned as if he had just made a joke. It was true. In fact, there had been a lot of cases of magicians being hunted recently.

“Don’t worry about that. Even like this, it’s a rather precious item. It’s an exchange between His Majesty and the Grand Duke after twenty years. If something were to happen to me, who is evidence of the exchange, to the point that even rumors of rebellion can be heard?”

This time, Galahad chuckled. Unlike before, Gilbert wasn’t laughing.

“I’m quite an important person. I didn’t know.”

Galahad didn’t know the reason for that either. Perhaps he was simply a person whose string had been cut, but there was no need to say it out loud.

“Once you’re done eating, let’s move again.”

Gilbert said as he got up from his seat.

“Are you going to keep moving without sleeping?”

“Yes, as you are an important person.”

“Will you be alright?”

“As I am a knight, I can go for a few days without sleep. Are you alright, though? The carriage will be shaking a lot.”

Gilbert asked, narrowing his eyes.

‘He’s being petty.’

Galahad clicked his tongue slightly and nodded.

In reality, the carriage’s seats were hard and shook violently. It wasn’t a situation where one could sleep.

It was clear that Gilbert had the petty intention of making Galahad suffer somehow.

However, Galahad was a wizard. In this era, wizards had a stronger auxiliary nature than combat nature.

Making the shaking carriage into a very soft and quiet bed was quite an easy task.

Galahad slept soundly for the first time in a long while.

***

Knock, knock.

Galahad opened his eyes at the alarm spell. His body felt refreshed, as if he had slept very deeply.

Galahad tidied up his seat and opened the door.

Gilbert, who had become thinner than before, squinted his eyes.

“I see you slept well?”

“I slept very well. Are you alright? Your complexion isn’t good.”

“······I’m fine. It’s common to go for days without sleeping on the battlefield.”

“I see. I’m fine, so please continue to work hard.”

Gilbert’s face became even more distorted. He was a guy who enjoyed teasing others.

“We’ll stop by a castle or village on the way.”

“···A castle?”

“I think I should buy a coat.”

Galahad spoke while rubbing his goosebumped arm.

“Does a wizard also get cold?”

Gilbert asked as if he was genuinely curious. Galahad narrowed his eyes at that. What did he think a wizard was?

“Of course, I get cold, as I’m human.”

Of course, he could use magic to maintain his body temperature. However, magic that affected a wizard’s body was more difficult to use than simply softening a bed or blocking out sound.

“Isn’t there Garseton Castle on the way? I heard that the coats there are good. Let’s stop by.”

“Garseton?”

It was a strangely unpleasant question, but Gilbert was originally an unpleasant guy. Galahad nodded.

“Understood.”

Gilburton’s lips curled up on one side.

He really was an unpleasant bastard.

***

“It’s cold.”

Galen complained, shaking his head. The center was warm every day, but here it was so cold that he got goosebumps. He had to use mana to maintain his body temperature.

He hadn’t even put a cigarette in his mouth yet, but his breath was visible. It was draining his mana just to keep himself warm.

The path wasn’t paved, so his shoes got muddy. Is it mud? Galen sniffed. It smelled disgusting. It must be mud. Galen hurriedly put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. The sweet lemon scent overpowered the other smell.

“It’ll get colder the higher we go.”

Gilburton, whose eyes were sunken, spoke sharply. Gilburton was wearing a fur coat that looked like animal hide, which he must have gotten from somewhere.

“Didn’t you endure the cold bare-chested on the front lines or something?”

Gilburton’s eyes narrowed at Galen’s question. Upon closer inspection, he was smiling.

“Yes, even soldiers wear warm clothes.”

Too bad. Galen mumbled to himself.

At that moment, a fat man came running. His flesh jiggled every time he jumped. The man was wearing high-heeled shoes that were completely out of fashion.

“Oh my! If you’re here, why are you stopping outside? Why didn’t you come inside?”

The fat man said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Galen glanced at Gilburton. Gilburton avoided his gaze as if it were none of his business.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Aren’t you a guest of His Highness the Grand Duke?”

Galen glanced at Gilburton. Gilburton shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “It’s not me.”

‘The Grand Duke’s side said they would visit.’

Gilburton had rather opposed visiting the castle. The visit the man was talking about probably wasn’t Galen’s visit.

“Please come in! The Lord is waiting!”

“Is there a soft bed?”

The fat man tilted his head at Galen’s question and nodded.

“Yes, and a warm bath too!”

“And well-cooked meat?”

“Of course! Our chef is the best in the neighborhood!”

“Alright.”

As Galen nodded, the excited fat man led the way, shaking his hips.

“Be careful. There have been quite a few people who have disappeared around Garseton Castle. I heard there were even magicians among them. It’s a very dangerous place for a magician.”

Gilburton, who had suddenly appeared beside him, spoke in an amused voice.

“Why are you telling me that now? You should have told me sooner.”

“You didn’t ask.”

“That’s true.”

Gilburton chuckled as Galen grumbled softly.

“Then would you like to go somewhere else now?”

“Are you good at fighting?”

Gilburton’s eyebrows furrowed at the sudden question.

“I’m pretty good.”

“Then protect me well. I’m an important person.”

Galahad walked with a lit cigarette in his mouth.

“Is it recklessness, boldness, or does he know?”

Gilbert, who had muttered softly, gestured somewhere.

It was an unusually dark night.